Ammonit

Geoff reviewed Ammonite by Nicola Griffith

Review of 'Ammonite' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

Ammonite starts slow and thoughtful, exploring interesting and surprising ideas about its science fiction universe. And then it builds to an engaging plot-driven story that’s hard to put down.

I almost wish I had read Griffith’s explanation of what she was trying to do first (in my edition this was an afterword) because I think it would have made me more attuned to some really compelling aspects of the book more quickly. But this is not to say it doesn’t succeed. It absolutely does.

I loved the world, the people, and then fictional science here. It was original, fascinating, and really fun to read. And I especially loved the complex and diverse cast of female characters.

moving to outside.ofa.dog reviewed Ammonite by Nicola Griffith

Ammonite

4 stars

Content warning Ammonite (whole book)

I enjoyed this book a lot, and it's the kind of juicy food for thought that I've spent the week since finishing it digesting. Elements of it felt like an homage to The Left Hand of Darkness, but not heavily enough that to get in the way of Griffith having her own story to tell. There's also a big echo of the stories of early European colonies losing people because they either couldn't handle the environment they were trying to colonise or "went native", liking the cultures they were supposed to subjugate better than their own.

It's beautifully written too, but at times some of the human interactions felt implausibly easy. We get the protagonist almost dying a few times, but she seems to settle in to a wholly alien culture quicker & more easily than I've managed moving between countries on one planet. And the resolution at the end of the book feels too convenient.

SFFBookClub

moving to outside.ofa.dog reviewed Ammonite by Nicola Griffith

Review of 'Ammonite' on 'LibraryThing'

No rating

bookwyrm.social/user/eldang/review/26069

Kadomi reviewed Ammonite by Nicola Griffith

Review of 'Ammonite' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I don't know what I expected of this SF novel, but it wasn't what I got.

Ammonite is the story of Marghe, an anthropologist who comes to explore the planet Jeep. Her prime purpose is to test a vaccine because there's a virus on this planet that kills all men, and most women. The inhabitants of Jeep are former colonists, all women, who are living in a tribal society and mysteriously are able to reproduce despite the lack of men. Marghe wants to find out more about them and leaves the safe area of the small colony on Jeep.

The author's note includes that she wanted to showcase that women can be all sorts of characters and are human, that you do not need characters who act like a stand-in for a male protagonist, for example, and she accomplished that. There's a variety of interesting women. I have to admit …

I don't know what I expected of this SF novel, but it wasn't what I got.

Ammonite is the story of Marghe, an anthropologist who comes to explore the planet Jeep. Her prime purpose is to test a vaccine because there's a virus on this planet that kills all men, and most women. The inhabitants of Jeep are former colonists, all women, who are living in a tribal society and mysteriously are able to reproduce despite the lack of men. Marghe wants to find out more about them and leaves the safe area of the small colony on Jeep.

The author's note includes that she wanted to showcase that women can be all sorts of characters and are human, that you do not need characters who act like a stand-in for a male protagonist, for example, and she accomplished that. There's a variety of interesting women. I have to admit I liked Commander Hannah Danner in the colony a lot more than Marghe.

There's also a lesbian love story of sorts, and all in all I really enjoyed reading this book, even if it was less sci-fi than I had hoped it to be.

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